Electric power supplying and receiving device

ABSTRACT

The device comprises an electric power supplying member including a plurality of sets of electric power supplying contact pieces and an electric power receiving member including a plurality of sets of electric power collecting contact pieces, the arrangments of the supplying and collecting contact pieces being not dimensionally coincident with each other. The supplying contact pieces or contacts are arranged in sets each including a number thereof equal to the number of different polarity terminals of a source of electric potential, with each supplying contact of a set being connected to a different respective terminal of the source and corresponding supplying contacts of successive sets being connected to the same respective terminal of the source. Respective diodes are connected to the collecting contact pieces or contacts, with adjacent diodes being poled in opposite respective directions and connected to different respective terminals of a load. The receiving member is selectively positionable in engagement along the supplying member, and the respective arrangements of the supplying and receiving contacts is such that, when the receiving member is engaged with the supplying member, the input terminals of the load are continuously electrically connected to the same respective output terminals of the source irrespective of the relative positions of the supplying and receiving members. Thereby, responsive to a voltage from the source being impressed on the supplying contacts, a rectified current is supplied to the load in accordance with the relative polarities of the diodes.

United States Patent [191 Itoh [ 1 ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLYING AND RECEIVING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Shinobu ltoh, 401, 6-10 Shinkawa-S, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 307,789

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 1, 1971 Japan 46-97515 [52] US. Cl 307/146, 317/52, 321/11 [51] Int. Cl. H02m 1/18 [58] Field of Search 339/32 M, 176 MP, 176 M; 307/127, 138, 146; 321/8, 11; 317/52 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,525,030 8/1970 Hammond et a]. 321/11 3,731,179 5/1973 Rademaker 307/138 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,307,334 9/1962 France 339/32 M Primary ExaminerDavid Smith, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmJohn J. McGlew [5 7] ABSTRACT The device comprises an electric power supplying member including a plurality of sets of electric power [451 Sept. 3, 1974 supplying contact pieces and an electric power receiving member including a plurality of sets of electric power collecting contact pieces, the arrangments of the supplying and collecting contact pieces being not dimensionally coincident with each other. The supplying contact pieces or contacts are arranged in sets each including a number thereof equal to the number of different polarity terminals of a source of electric potential, with each supplying contact of a set being connected to a different respective terminal of the source and corresponding supplying contacts of successive sets being connected to the same respective terminal of the source. Respective diodes are connected to the collecting contact pieces or contacts, with adjacent diodes being poled in opposite respective directions and connected to different respective terminals of a load. The receiving member is selectively positionable in engagement along the supplying member, and the respective arrangements of the supplying and receiving contacts is such that, when the receiving member is engaged with the supplying member, the input terminals of the load are continuously electrically connected to the same respective output terminals of the source irrespective of the relative positions of the supplying and receiving members. Thereby, responsive to a voltage from the source being impressed on the supplying contacts, a rectified current is supplied to the load in accordance with the relative polarities of the diodes.

7' Claims, 2 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to an electric power supplying and receiving device and particularly to an improvement in an electric power supplying and receiving device.

2. Descriptionof the Prior Art Therehas been proposed an electric power supplying and receiving device which performs its electric power supplying and receiving function only in a certain locus, as seen in the third rail of an electric car, the collector of a motor, or the like. Accordingly, the prior art device has a drawback such that its positional freedom is subject to some restriction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electric power supplying and receiving device which comprises an electric power supplying member including a plurality of electric power supplying contact pieces and an electric power receiving member including a plurality of electric power collecting contact pieces and a plurality of diodes. The arrangement of the electric power collecting contact pieces is not dimensionally coincident with that of the electric power supplying contact pieces. Each electric power collecting contact pieces has connected thereto at least one diode for preventing a short circuit between the power collecting contact BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram showing one embodiment of a device according to the present invention, and

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the electric power receiving member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED v EMBODIMENT A description in detail will be given of this invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1, a plurality of sets of electric power supplying contact pieces 2 and 2 having oppositepolarities are embedded in alternation in a surface 1 which is included in an electric power supplying member 3 and the respective electric power supplying contact pieces 2 and 2' are connected to the respective terminals of an electric power supply source '4. The supplying contact pieces 2 and 2 may be in a short or elongate shape.

In the example of FIG. 1, the supplying contact pieces 2 and 2' are provided in association with a DC supply source or a singlephase power supply source. However, in the case of employing a multiphase power supply source, for example, a 3-phase power supply source, the supplying contact pieces are provided in a number, in each set, according to the number of output terminals of the power supply source.

Reference numeral 5 designates an electric power receiving member which is disposed above the surface 1 of FIG. 1. The electric power receiving member 5 is made to be spatially movable with respect to the electric power supplying member 3. In the electric power receiving member 5 there are provided a plurality of pairs of electric power collecting contact pieces 6 and 6', for example, of a rod shape, each pair thereof corresponding to a positive electrode and a negative electrode. Reference numeral 7 indicates a resilient member such as a spring or the like which urges each of the collecting contact pieces 6 and 6 against the surface 1 to obtain a close contact therebetween. Further, the collecting contact pieces 6 and 6' are respectively connected to the input terminals of an electrical load 9 such as, for example, an electric motor, a battery, or the like through diodes 8 and 8, the polarities of which are opposite to each other in accordance with the polarities of the supplying contact pieces 2 and 2'.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 5' designates another example of a circuit of the electric power receiving member according to this invention. Each of the electric power collecting contact pieces 10 is connected to the input terminals of the load through two diodes 8 and 8' which are opposite in polarity to each other, and hence the collecting contact pieces 10 are free from the restriction according to the difference in polarity, as compared with the example of FIG. 1.

The spatial arrangement of the collecting contact pieces 10 may be in a circle shape or in other figures.

The supplying contact pieces 2 and 2' may also be formed in such a manner that one group of the supplying contact pieces, having one polarity, is in a grid shape while the other supplying contact pieces, having another polarity, are disposed in a dotted manner among the above-described grid-shaped member.

The above-described electric power supplying and receiving device is particularly effective in the case when this device is intermittenly employed as a connecting device for battery charge of an electric automobile or the like. In this case, the surface 1 corresponds to, for example, the ground or wall surface of an electric power supply station and the electric power receiving member 5 or 5' is mounted on the electric automobile.

In the case where the distance between the adjacent supplying contact pieces 2 and 2' is taken as A, and that between the adjacent collecting contact pieces 6 and 6 as k it is desirable that A, and A, are not equal to each other. When a plurality of contact pieces are provided in this device, at least one positive contact piece 6 is always in engagement with a positive contact piece 2 and at least one negative contact piece 6' is always in engagement with a negative contact piece 2', due to the difference between the respective spacings of the supplying contact pieces and the collecting contact pieces.

The device of this invention will be next described with respect to its operation. When a voltage is supplied from the electric power supply source 4 to the supplied to the load 9 in the receiving members or 5 due to the operation of the diodes 8 and 8 connected to the respective collecting contact pieces 6 and 6 since at least one contact piece 6 is in'contact with a contact piece 2 and at least one contact piece 6' is in contact with a contact piece 2. The diodes 8 and 8 are effective to prevent short circuits between the collecting contact pieces 6 and 6', in both the embodiment of FIG. '1 and in that of FIG. 2. I

As described above, the present invention has an advantageouseffect such that in the case of supplying and receiving the electric power the relative positional relation between the electric power supplying and receiving members does not require spatial accuracy and also its connecting operation is quite easy.

It will be apparent that a number of changes and variations can be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

1 claim as my invention:

1. An electric power supplying and receiving device comprising, in combination, an electric power supplying member including a source of electric potential having output terminals and a plurality of supplying contacts arranged in sets each including a number of supplying contacts equal to the number of different polarity terminals of said source, each supplying contact of a set being connected to a different respective terminal of said source and corresponding supplying contacts of successive sets being connected to the same respective tenninal of said source; and an electric power receiving member including a load having input terminals, a plurality of collecting contacts and respective diodes connected to said collecting contacts, with adjacent diodes being poled in opposite respective directions and connected to different respective terminals of said load; said diodes preventing short circuiting between said collecting contacts; said receiving member being selectively positionable in engagement along said supplying member; the respective arrangements of said supplying and receiving contacts being such that, when said receiving member is engaged with said supplying member, said collecting contacts are not dimensionally coincident with said supplying contacts and the input terminals of said load are continuously electrically connected to the same respective output terminals of said source irrespective of the relative positions of said supplying and receiving members.

2. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electric power receiving member is freely movable on said electric power supplying member. I

3. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said supplying contacts are arranged along a power supplying path in substantially uniformly spaced relation; said collecting contacts being arranged along a power collecting path in substantially uniformly spaced relation.

4. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spacing between adjacent supplying contacts differs from the spacing between adjacent collecting contacts.

5. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 2, in which each diode is connected to its respective load input terminal by a single diode.

6. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 1, including two diodes connected to each collecting contact, each of the two diodes being connected to a respective different terminal of the load; the two diodes being poled in opposite respective direction.

7. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 1, in which the contact surfaces of said supplying contacts are substantially flush with the surface of a member mounting said supplying contacts; said receiving member including means biasing said collecting contacts into firm engagement with said supplying contacts. 

1. An electric power supplying and receiving device comprising, in combination, an electric power supplying member including a source of electric potential having output terminals and a plurality of supplying contacts arranged in sets each including a number of supplying contacts equal to the number of different polarity terminals of said source, each supplying contact of a set being connected to a different respective terminal of said source and corresponding supplying contacts of successive sets being connected to the same respective terminal of said source; and an electric power receiving member including a load having input terminals, a plurality of collecting contacts and respective diodes connected to said collecting contacts, with adjacent diodes being poled in opposite respective directions and connected to different respective terminals of said load; said diodes preventing short circuiting between said collecting contacts; said receiving member being selectively positionable in engagement along said supplying member; the respective arrangements of said supplying and receiving contacts being such that, when said receiving member is engaged with said supplying member, said collecting contacts are not dimensionally coincident with said supplying contacts and the input terminals of said load are continuously electrically connected to the same respective output terminals of said source irrespective of the relative positions of said supplying and receiving members.
 2. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electric power receiving member is freely movable on said electric power supplying member.
 3. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said supplying contacts are arranged along a power supplying path in substantially uniformly spaced relation; said collecting contacts being arranged along a power collecting path in substantially uniformly spaced relation.
 4. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spacing between adjacent supplying contacts differs from the spacing between adjacent collecting contacts.
 5. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 2, in which each diode is connected to its respective load input terminal by a single diode.
 6. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 1, including two diodes connected to eacH collecting contact, each of the two diodes being connected to a respective different terminal of the load; the two diodes being poled in opposite respective direction.
 7. An electric power supplying and receiving device, as claimed in claim 1, in which the contact surfaces of said supplying contacts are substantially flush with the surface of a member mounting said supplying contacts; said receiving member including means biasing said collecting contacts into firm engagement with said supplying contacts. 